In the past few weeks, as I've told people that I would be traveling to Vietnam, people asked me what I was going to do. My response? Eat food. Yeah, sure, there's nature and Uncle Ho and some other stuff (like super-chaotic traffic -- more on that later) but oh, the food!
Each region in Vietnam is known for its distinct and delicious cuisine. We're in the North, now, and we didn't waste any time diving into its culinary delights.
Breakfast
At the hotel. Complimentary fruit in the room, full breakfast downstairs -- what a great way to start the day.
Snack
Also at the hotel. A refreshing pick-me-up after a wiltingly hot and humid morning at Uncle Ho's mausoleum.
Lunch
Street food! These tiny store-front operations offer only one menu item, and you eat it sitting on child-sized plastic lawn furniture. The setting is about as ghetto as it gets, but the food is oh, so tasty.
Snack
In a refreshing, air-conditioned cafe in the Old Quarter. Sweaty and grimy after a day of walking across creation, ice cream and a frosty Coke hit the spot.
Dinner
At La Badiane, a fancy French fusion place that is ranked by TripAdvisor as one of the top restaurants in the world. Tucked discretely away in an elegant villa in a totally non-descript street, this place offers (and, for the most part, delivers) first-world elegance in an otherwise rough-and-tumble city.
Each region in Vietnam is known for its distinct and delicious cuisine. We're in the North, now, and we didn't waste any time diving into its culinary delights.
Breakfast
At the hotel. Complimentary fruit in the room, full breakfast downstairs -- what a great way to start the day.
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| Mysterious green fruit. Looks like a green apple on the outside, tastes like honeydew on the inside. |
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| Pineapple, mango, something else that looked like cantaloupe but wasn't -- all delicious. With passionfruit (top left) and fresh watermelon juice. |
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| Passionfruit |
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| Pho bo -- noodles with beef in broth with onions and scallions |
Snack
Also at the hotel. A refreshing pick-me-up after a wiltingly hot and humid morning at Uncle Ho's mausoleum.
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| Bananas and rambutans |
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| Talk about a hairy eyeball! |
Lunch
Street food! These tiny store-front operations offer only one menu item, and you eat it sitting on child-sized plastic lawn furniture. The setting is about as ghetto as it gets, but the food is oh, so tasty.
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| Bun bo nam bo -- dry noodles with beef, bean sprouts, roasted garlic chips, lemongrass, peanuts |
Snack
In a refreshing, air-conditioned cafe in the Old Quarter. Sweaty and grimy after a day of walking across creation, ice cream and a frosty Coke hit the spot.
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| Coconut ice cream! |
Dinner
At La Badiane, a fancy French fusion place that is ranked by TripAdvisor as one of the top restaurants in the world. Tucked discretely away in an elegant villa in a totally non-descript street, this place offers (and, for the most part, delivers) first-world elegance in an otherwise rough-and-tumble city.
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| Crab “remoulade” in ginger essential oil, beetroot Carpaccio & Dalat asparagus |
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| Australian beef grilled tenderloin, roasted red pepper with “bleu d’Auvergne” cheese & rosemary, “grenaille” style potatoes, pepper sauce |
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| Moelleux au chocolat & Grand Marnier, sorbet tangerine & glaçage café |
3 comments:
I think that mystery melon is called a melona
At first I wondered why you would travel to Vietnam to eat at a French restaurant. Then I saw what you ate and would be totally on board! Buen provecho!
Looks fabulous as always. Not really what I would have expected. Enjoy! Lady
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